Controlled
shot peening
COMPANY PROFILE
Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies
(CWST) offers a single source solution and
point of contact for all your surface
treatments. We can reduce your
turnaround times and costs through our
network of over 75 worldwide facilities.
Our proven surface treatments meet
industry demands for lighter materials,
improved performance and life extension in
key markets such as Aerospace,
Automotive, Energy and Medical. We can
prevent premature failures due to fatigue,
corrosion, wear, galling and fretting.
Surface Technologies is a Division of
Curtiss-Wright (NYSE:CW) a global
innovative company that delivers highly
engineered, critical function products and
services to the commercial, industrial,
defense and energy markets. Building on
the heritage of Glenn Curtiss and the
Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright has a long
tradition of providing reliable solutions
through trusted customer relationships.
For more information on all our services and full worldwide contact details: www.cwst.co.uk
www.cwst.co.uk
Why does controlled shot
peening extend part life?
Critical component failure can very often be traced
back to residual tensile stresses that are introduced
during the manufacturing process. Processes such as
welding, laser cutting and electric discharge as well
as milling, turning, drilling and grinding can produce
residual tensile stresses which will reduce fatigue
strength and shorten a component’s life.
With the application of controlled shot Shot peening is a cold working process
peening to the surface of a component that involves creating an indentation on the
any residual tensile stresses are converted surface of a component to a technically
to compressive stresses which have been defined specification using small high quality
proven to prevent typical failure modes such spherical media called shot.
as metal fatigue, corrosion fatigue, stress
corrosion cracking, intergranular corrosion, The surface yields but it is restrained
fretting, galling and wear. by the substrate, with the result that a
residual compressive stress is introduced
Controlled shot peening has long been which makes the surface resistant to
associated with engineered surface finishing crack initiation and propagation. The shot
of metals including steels, stainless steels, media can be steel, stainless steel, glass
aluminium, titanium and copper alloys. It or ceramic beads and controlling the
forms an essential part of the manufacturing size, intensity and coverage will result in
process used within the engineering industry a residual compressively stressed layer of
to improve wear and corrosion resistance uniform magnitude and depth.
and prevent premature fatigue failures.
Impact at high speed
creates a dimple
Shot peening – what is it and how Dimple
does it work?
Shot peening is a highly cost effective
treatment which can be performed on
components of any shape and size and
stretched surface
can even be done on site, which when
combined with the reduced maintenance
costs achieved by extended part life, you COMPRESSION
can clearly see why leading manufacturers
specifically include this process in their
specifications. Shot peening process

How did the shot peening process
begin?
Hammering or cold hammering stresses
a material through force beyond its yield
strength, so allowing it to be shaped
and hardened. The earliest example of
this process can be traced back to a
gold helmet circa 2700 B.C. The helmet
featured the trademark dimpling effect
that is induced by hammering an object
into shape. The process was widely used
to shape and harden armour during the
crusades (1100-1400 A.D.).
The process remained relatively
unchanged until the industrial revolution
when there were many experiments on the
manipulation of metals, usually termed as
“cold rolling” which essentially replaced
cold hammering and through trial and
error this brought about improvements in
surface hardness and fatigue life.
During the 1920’s the benefits of
mechanical pre-stressing had become
more understood and A C Sampietro,
a renowned automotive engineer, was
reputed to have said that fillets of
crankshafts in European race cars were
hand peened to improve fatigue life.
After much research the question of when
and how the process of shot peening
was formally discovered appears to have
been between 1927 and 1929, with the
automotive industry taking a further lead by
introducing it into their specification for the
manufacture of the Cadillac Valve springs
in December 1929.
For more information on all our services and full worldwide contact details: www.cwst.co.uk
Controlled Shot Peening
www.cwst.co.uk
Process specification criteria
To ensure the shot peening process meets
all its requirements certain criteria has to
be considered and these are:
PARAMETER SELECTION
The choice of shot peening parameters is
dependent on:
l knowledge of the application of the
component
l component geometry
l manufacturing method
l mechanical properties of the base
material
l strain sensitivity of the base material
l operating environment
l service conditions, loads and cycles
l cost sensitivity
l turnaround time
DEPTH OF COMPRESSIVE LAYER
This represents the depth of material
that is resistant to crack initiation and
propagation. This layer is controlled by
predetermining the energy of the peening
Tension 0 Compression
Stress from
applied load
Residual stress
from shot peening
Resultant stress
Shot peening influence on applied stress
– algebraic reductions
impact, although the thickness of the
section is also a factor. A deeper layer
is generally desired for optimum crack
growth resistance and protection again
severe environmental conditions.
SURFACE STRESS
This magnitude is usually less than the
maximum compressive stress, which is
subsurface but can be tailored to suit the
application.
CONTROLLING THE PROCESS
To ensure accuracy, reliability and
repeatability the variable parameters of the
shot peening process have to be carefully
controlled.
Controlled shot peening is different from
most manufacturing processes in that
there is no non-destructive method to
confirm that it has been performed to the
proper specification. Techniques such
as x-ray diffraction require the part be
sacrificed to generate a full compressive
depth profile analysis.
However, to ensure peening specifications
are being met for production batches,
the following process controls must be
maintained: media intensity, coverage, shot
direction and repetition.
We have developed robotic and
specialised mechanical equipment that
ensures that the motion of the component
to shot flow is consistent – hence the term
controlled shot peening.
MEDIA CONTROL
Controlling the shape and size of the
shot will result in a residual compressively
stressed layer on the surface of uniform
magnitude and depth:
Poor shot shape and size will result in an
irregular residual stress profile, excessive
surface disruption and potential stress
raisers.
INTENSITY CONTROL
Shot peening intensity is the measure of
the energy of the shot stream. It is one of
the essential means of ensuring process
repeatability. The energy of the shot stream
is directly related to the compressive
stress that is imparted into a component.
Intensity can be increased by using larger
media and/or increasing the velocity of the
shot stream.
Other variables to consider are the
impingement angle and peening media.
Intensity is measured using Almen test
strips and must be conducted initially
during set up and repeated at approved
intervals.
For more information on all our services and full worldwide contact details: www.cwst.co.uk
COVERAGE CONTROL
Complete coverage of a shot peened
surface is crucial in performing high quality
shot peening. Coverage is the measure
of original surface area that has been
covered by the shot peening indentations.
Coverage should never be less than 100%
as fatigue and stress corrosion cracks can
develop in any non-peened area that is not
encased in residual compressive stress.
Some strain sensitive materials perform
better with levels of coverage in excess of
100%.
Shot peen forming
The process of controlled shot peening
can also used to create a change in
the shape of a component, for example
to create the aerodynamic contours of
aircraft wing skins where within the elastic
range of the material gentle curves are
formed to consistent tolerances. Parts that
have been peen formed have increased
resistance to flexural bending fatigue and
even if the material is peened on one
side only, the process causes both sides
to have compressive stresses which has
been proven to inhibit stress corrosion
cracking and improve fatigue strength.
Correction of distortion
Controlled shot peening can also be used
to correct distortion typically caused by
manufacturing processes such as casting,
rolling, forging and heat treatment which
can also dramatically alter the stress
pattern of the final machined part making it
vulnerable to stress corrosion cracking and
fatigue. With the application of controlled
shot peening it is possible to stretch the
substrate surface of the part to correct the
distortion and in the process replace any
tensile stresses with beneficial compressive
stresses.
C.A.S.E.™ super finishing
This technique is combined with controlled
shot peening and is particularly suited to
gears and results in a mirror like finish on
the component’s surface for resistance
to crack initiation and propagation, whilst
retaining the natural valleys for lubricant
retention to reduce operating temperatures
and friction and to improve overall life and
performance. This process is particularly
suited to gears and transmission
components and any situation which
involves metal to metal contact.
Surface texturing/Peentex
Controlled shot peening can be used to
create a range of surface textures from a
non-slip textured finish for handgrips on
tooling to a mirror like finish for decorative
purposes and on various surfaces such as
metals, glass and acrylic.
For high traffic areas and internal cladding
and railings, surface texturing will diffuse
direct light and glare thus disguising
fingerprints and mild blemishes. The finish
is also non-directional so ideally suited for
jointed and welded frames and structures
disguising unsightly weld beads giving a
more uniform appearance. In addition
textured finishing can provide substantial
resistance to wear, scratching, written
graffiti and stickers as well as making
cleaning easier so ideal for architectural
applications.

Why should you choose Curtiss-Wright
Surface Technologies (CWST) to deliver
your surface treatments:
A worldwide supported network service of
over 75 facilities, including on site field
crews
We offer a diverse range of quality
surface treatments including:
l Controlled shot peening
l Shot peen forming
l Laser peening
l Engineered coatings
l C.A.S.E.™ super finishing
l Surface texturing
l Material testing
l Repair and overhaul
EUROPEAN CORPORATE OFFICE
Metal Improvement Company
Curtiss-Wright
Hambridge Lane, Newbury
Berkshire RG14 5TU, UK
l T: +44 (0)1635 279621
l E: eurosales@cwst.com
l W: www.cwst.co.uk
For more information on all our services and full worldwide contact details: www.cwst.co.uk
Surface Technologies
www.cwst.co.uk
Proud history of experience and
innovation dating back to the Wright
Brothers and Glen Curtiss who formed
the Curtiss-Wright Corporation in 1929
As a single source for all your surface
treatments we can improve your
turnaround times and save you money
Customer’s trust us to improve the
performance, strength and life of their
components, including the repair and
overhaul of worn components
Long experience in protecting
components from fatigue, corrosion,
wear, galling, fretting and environmental
attack in key industries
We maintain all appropriate customer
and industry quality approvals including
ISO 9001, NADCAP, AS9100 and
ISO 13485
The Dublin Spire – a stunning example of our
Tailoring our services to meet your needs surface texturing technique showing the
versatility of controlled shot peening
USA COMPANY HQ PARENT COMPANY HQ
Metal Improvement Company Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Curtiss-Wright 13925 Ballantyne Corporate Place
80 Route 4 East, Suite 310 Suite 400, Charlotte, NC 28277
Paramus, New Jersey 07652, USA l T: +1 (973) 541 3700
l T: +1 (201) 843 7800 l F: +1 (973) 541 3699
l E: info@cwst.com l W: www.curtisswright.com
l W: www.cwst.com